In This Issue

Fuel Your Child's Desire to Learn

Five Things Teachers and Parents Can Do to Engage Boys

Get Your Kids Excited About Books: 5 to 6 Years

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Fuel Your Child's Desire to Learn
by Leslie Garisto Pfaff
Stimulating your child's curiosity is critical to helping her succeed in the classroom. Good news: It's not only easy but also fun.

When my daughter, Lily, was 4, she watched in fascination as I pulled back the mulch in our vegetable garden to reveal a cache of fat red worms. She soon found out that the unraked leaves on our patio were home to dozens more, a revelation that delighted us both. I didn't realize it at the time, but that discovery was one of many small moments that helped to fuel Lily's desire to learn -- one that followed her to school and will, I hope, remain with her forever.

"Instilling a passion for learning is one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids," says Linda Acredolo, Ph.D., a Parents advisor and coauthor of Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love. That's not to say you should overlook skills such as reading and arithmetic. But keep this in mind: "Kids who enjoy learning tend to explore things more deeply, work harder, and be more successful in school and in life," says Kathy Seal, coauthor of Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning. These strategies will keep the learning process fresh throughout the early years.

Leave time for independent play.

If you've ever watched a toddler endlessly fill, empty, and refill a bucket with sand, you know that all kids are scientists by nature. But this process of experimentation can't happen unless you let your child check out the world on his own terms. "Give him time and room to do things on his own," says Margery B. Franklin, Ph.D., professor emerita of psychology at Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, New York. Resist the urge to jump in and help him at the first sign of frustration; children need to learn how to solve things themselves. "The answers, in learning and in life, don't always come right away," says Kyle Pruett, Ph.D., a Parents advisor and coauthor of Partnership Parenting. "Most kids need your help to develop perseverance." Read More

Resources

A Parents' Guide to Facebook (PDF). It's designed to help you understand what Facebook is and how to use it safely. With it, you will be better informed and able to communicate with young Facebook users in your life more effectively

Click Here

1. Get Preschoolers to Love Books
Nurture a love of books and help your kids do better in school by exposing them to reading at every age. With your preschooler, you may be reading chapter books to her, but when she's sounding out words on her own, go with easier material. Look for titles with short, rhyming words, such as Dr. Seuss's Hop on Pop or Green Eggs and Ham.

"Let her choose what she likes, so she'll be more motivated to read," says Kim Davenport, senior vice president of education and program at Jumpstart, a nonprofit early education organization. Praise even minor progress, and stop at the earliest sign of fatigue

2. Have Your Child Set the Reading Pace

Don't worry if a book seems babyish. It's better for your child to stay within his comfort zone. He'll let you know when he's ready for the next level.

3. Expand Your Definition of Books

If your child prefers reading comic books to fairy tales, experts say that's fine. Bruce Dorries, of Staunton, Virginia, credits Pokemon cards with motivating his son to read at age 5. "Mitchell and his friends would lie on the living room floor for hours, spouting facts and poring over the tiny type, just like my brother and I used to do with baseball cards," says Dorries

4. Take a Field Trip to Coincide with a Book

Read about plants or wildlife before going to a nature center. When you visit a science museum, pick up a book about experiments you can do at home. And if you take your kids to a historic site, see whether the gift shop has a children's title that lets them learn more about it. Read More

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Learning Center vs One on One Tutoring - not a competition but an option

Learning Center and One On One tutoring are great source of Supplementary Education both aimed to fill gaps left by the regular school system.

Most learning center work with two tools - a tutor + structured material developed by the Learning Center. Role of a tutor is minimized due to formal structure and so the flexibility of the program.

At the same time in One On One tutoring Student becomes a focal point - everything revolves around student - what he/she is learning in school, what are his/her strong areas & weak areas, what is needed to strengthen weak areas, who is the right teacher, how many no. of hour per week, how much practice, etc.

Question is what is the best option for your student - Learning Center or One on One tutoring. Read More

As our kids play sports, do team activities, or individual activities, they are taught simple rules to help make their experience a safer, more productive and fun one. As I was thinking about these rules and talking to my tutors about them, I realized they apply to everything we do on a daily basis...school, work, relationships with friends, parents, siblings, teachers, co-workers, bosses, coaches and of course, teammates.

Here's our favorite list... We've printed them out, shared them and I even have them posted beside my computer in my office as a reminder to myself. I hope it might help your family:

1. Know the Game
2. Pay attention to the Coach at all times
3. Know your Opponent

Read More

Tutor Doctor serving San Jose and the South Bay communities

HALLOWEEN is here and Report Cards are out! Are your kids getting SCARY Grades?

Progress reports are out and the mid term is ending. It is a great time to consider your students educational accomplishments and needs.

At Tutor Doctor, we are here to help. With a free consultation, we can give a second opinion on your student's performance and come up with a plan to meet your educational goals.

If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.
Brian Tracy

If you've never been hated by your child, you've never been a parent.
Bette Davis

How was your day at school today? Most of you must have asked that question to your child and many have received a reply from your child saying, Nothing, Same, Boring, Fun, etc. If you do not get specific answer, dig dipper, ask about their favorite subject, favorite teacher and than move towards tests, not favorite teachers, annoying student partners, lunch aids, etc. Keep asking. Idea is to find out as early as possible that they need help or to collect as many questions as you can which you can ask other parents, their teachers or counselors during the next meeting. Read More

There are many different tutoring services out there and it can be a dizzying adventure trying to pick the right one for yourself or your child. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a tutor or a tutoring service.

1. Is there a fee for an assessment or consultation and is it required? Some services require you to pay upfront for an assessment before they will recommend a package. These fees can range from $50-$200. You may go through the assessment and then find you cannot afford the tutoring services proposed.

2. Do they have customized packages? Some services only have standard packages and will not be flexible.

3. Do they use their own curriculum or do they follow the student's curriculum? Some services will introduce the student to a brand new curriculum in addition to the curriculum the student has to absorb at school. If you or your child are struggling, learning a new curriculum rather than focusing on your existing curriculum may not be wise. Read More